Tigers drop series opener against USF

Friday, May 3

Memphis, Tenn.

6 p.m.

University of Memphis

22-21, 6-9

USF

23-21, 5-11

USF

Memphis

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

May 03, 2019 | Baseball

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis baseball dropped a 10-7 slugfest Friday night to open its weekend series against USF at FedExPark.

The two sides combined for 17 runs on 27 hits. The Tigers struggled to finish opportunities on the bases after leaving a season-high 14 runners on the base paths, including at least one every inning and leaving the bases loaded in three innings.

Five Tigers tallied multiple-hit performances. Colton Neel (3-for-5) and Hunter Goodman (3-for-6) each had three hits. Neel blasted a two-run home run in the first inning, while all three of Goodman's hits went for extra bases.

Jason Santana also recorded a home run, his second of the season. Neel drove in a pair of Memphis runs while scoring a pair himself. Kyle Ouellette also posted two RBI on the night.

USF tallied two runs on three hits to gain the early edge before Memphis answered with a trio of runs in the bottom of the first, highlighted by Neel's third home run of the season.

USF recorded a two-run home run of its own in the third, and an RBI double later in the frame made it a 5-3 contest. The Bulls continued the offense when a grand slam in the fourth opened a 9-4 USF lead.

Memphis offered a rally and tallied a trio of runs in the sixth and seventh innings but USF added a run in the ninth to seal the league win.

The Tigers will return to FedExPark Saturday for Game 2 of the weekend series with first pitch slated for 2 p.m. Fans are encouraged to check the team's social media accounts (@MemphisBaseball) and GoTigersGo.com for any updates to the weekend schedule.